Phillip Danault scored on a breakaway at 4:04 of the first period and later set up Alexandre Texier as the Montreal Canadiens beat the top-seeded Carolina Hurricanes 6-2 in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference final on Thursday.
Montreal fell behind 1-0 just 33 seconds into the game, but Cole Caufield tied it 27 seconds later, and the Canadiens never looked back. Danault, who had gone 13 playoff games without a goal before this week, added a playmaking touch in a win that immediately changes the series narrative.
Danault said afterward, "It's an honour," and called his return to Montreal personal: "Always had the (logo) on my heart … it's in my DNA." He also praised the crowd: "Just love the energy — electric, the fans. We have a great relationship with the fans, and it just means everything to me."
Danault has been a focal point of Montreal's midseason makeover. The 30-game return to the Canadiens came after Montreal traded for him from the Los Angeles Kings in December, sending a 2026 second-round pick the other way. After rejoining the team he had previously played parts of six seasons with, Danault produced six goals and six assists in 45 regular-season games.
Coach Martin St. Louis framed Danault's impact not in flashy scoring lines but in the dirty work he provides. "He fills in a chair — a role — that we needed," St. Louis said. "We have some great young players, tons of skill. We need to have some veteran guys that can play a different role — killing penalties, good on draws, hard to play against defensively." St. Louis acknowledged the adjustment period as well: "It took him a little while to get acclimated (with) how we play, but he's fitting in nicely."
The win was the latest step in a short, intense run: Danault scored in Montreal's Game 7 overtime win over the Buffalo Sabres on Monday, ending his goal drought and giving the team renewed confidence entering the conference final. Danault had previously played a key defensive role in Montreal's 2021 run to the Stanley Cup final before leaving later that summer for Los Angeles, where his role diminished; he began that season with zero goals and five assists through 30 games for the Kings.
Veteran teammates noticed the return of a familiar presence. Nick Suzuki said he reached out the moment the trade happened. "Got to watch him play against every team's top player, learned a lot from him, lots of conversations," Suzuki said. "When we traded for him, I was probably one of the first guys to text him. We sat down in Boston, just me and him, chatted a long time … just about how much he wants to be here and how much he wants to win."
Caufield, whose quick equalizer erased an early scare, singled out Danault's preparation. "He's been a pro his whole career (and) the way he prepares himself for every day was something pretty eye-opening," Caufield said. "Very lucky to get him back." Danault himself kept the tone level-headed on the ice: "No panic," he said, crediting his teammates when momentum swung: "Cole helped us to calm down a little bit, and we just took over."
Context sharpens why Game 1 matters now: Carolina arrived with a perfect postseason record after sweeping the Ottawa Senators and Philadelphia Flyers, while Montreal entered after a sweep of the Tampa Bay Lightning in seven games in the first round. The Hurricanes were the top seed; the Canadiens were not expected to seize home-ice authority so quickly.
Tension remains. Danault had been goalless through a long stretch of playoff hockey until this week, and his role had faded in Los Angeles before the trade. Still, his timely scoring and the veteran habits St. Louis described closed several gaps in Montreal's lineup and changed how Carolina must match up for Game 2.
This was not a one-night flourish. Between the return in December and the playoff push, Danault’s combination of experience, penalty killing and faceoff work has given Montreal something it had lacked when he was away: a dependable, veteran anchor who can tilt tight games. After Game 1, that anchor looks less like a reclamation project and more like a deciding piece — the kind of player who can determine how deep these Canadiens go in the conference final.
